Tag Archives: PTSD

PTSD Service Dogs can save a person’s life! There are waiting lists of 2 to 3.5 years for disabled veterans who need a trained PTSD Service Dog. Why?

I have served on the Board of Directors of The Dog Liberator since it’s inception. The Dog Liberator is a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing homeless and abandoned dogs, primarily dogs from high-kill shelters and owners who can no longer care for them. By working with committed volunteers, local veterinarians, trainers, and foster homes, TDL has been able to rescue hundreds of dogs every year. From June of 2009 to date, TDL has rescued, rehabilitated, spay/neutered, and re-homed over 700 dogs throughout the Southeast. The adopted dogs have gone on to lives as service dogs, working dogs, and pets.

Service Dogs for Veterans with PTSD can prevent suicide. PTSD Service Dogs save lives.

Last week a person contacted The Dog Liberator requesting assistance in re-homing a fully trained PTSD and seizure alert German Shepherd, whose owner had passed away. The dog’s guardian will assist in selecting the new owner who most closely meets the dog’s needs.

The transition will include a foster period and training with a professional service dog trainer.

On Veteran’s Day, the dog was posted to Facebook. The post received over 250 shares and over 90,000 views. By the next day, more than 40 people had contacted The Dog Liberator wanting the dog. Many of the stories were heartbreaking.

We were surprised by how many people assumed that any “Service Dog” could perform “ANY” service.

We were surprised by people who did not understand that they would need to work with a professional trainer to see if this Service Dog was a fit for them and to ensure that they were properly engaging with the dog and his abilities.

We were surprised by how many people did not realize that there are many different facets to PTSD and that individual Service Dogs are trained for specific tasks for specific people.

Several inquiries were identified as people who had the intention of selling the dog for a high profit. The outpouring of attention brought the overwhelming need for trained Alert PTSD Service Dogs to the forefront. None of us had any idea how difficult it is for disabled veterans and people living with PTSD and/or brain injuries too quickly and inexpensively acquire a trained Alert PTSD Service Dog. We witnessed first hand a lot of misinformation

Heartbreak!

Service Dogs for Veterans with PTSD can prevent suicide. PTSD Service Dogs save lives.

The most heartbreaking story came from an out of state veteran who works with other veterans with PTSD and brain injuries.

He confirmed that there is a 2 year to 3.5 plus year waiting period for trained PTSD Service Dogs in his state.

He told us that in his county alone, 22 veterans with PTSD and/or brain injuries committed suicide last year and 17 veterans so far in 2014 have committed suicide. I choke back tears just writing this and thinking of these selfless individuals who served our country and now suffer alone.

We spoke to another disabled veteran in Wisconsin with PTSD. She told us that her wait was much shorter and her fees much lower. Her service dog is a seizure alert, heart attack alert and PTSD dog who carries her medications and instructions. Once she was introduced to her breeder, her interactions with her puppy began at birth. As soon as the puppy was old enough to leave his mother, they participated in a weekly training session at her own home for 10 months. She didn’t discuss the fees but told me that the total was significantly less than mentioned above. The key to her training was having the puppy sleep on her heart from the day he was born. Dogs quickly clue into their person’s body signals.

How do we get more PTSD Service Dogs trained quickly and into these Veterans homes?

Our disabled veteran friend in Wisconsin told me that in her state the prisoners train abandoned dogs from the animal shelters as PTSD and Alert Service Dogs. They have a work program that is coordinated with the local Veterans organization. The prisoners enjoy the interaction with their dogs and know that their work will make the difference in a veteran’s life. By minimizing training fees, they can train the services dogs quickly and at a lower cost. It sounds like a win-win program that should be duplicated across the country. How does that happen?

Suicide Rates Among Veterans

Per CNN September 2013 article.

(CNN) — Every day, 22 veterans take their own lives. That’s a suicide every 65 minutes. As shocking as the number is, it may actually be higher.

Nearly one in five suicides nationally is a veteran, even though veterans make up about 10% of the U.S. population.

“There’s probably a tidal wave of suicides coming,” says Brian Kinsella, an Iraq war veteran who started Stop Soldier Suicide, a nonprofit group that works to raise awareness of suicide. Between October 2006 and June 2013, the Veterans Crisis Line received more than 890,000 calls. That number does not include chats and texts.

Per our Wisconsin disabled veteran friend, she believes that many veteran suicides are related to changes in medications, difficulty getting medical services, cutbacks in pain medications, living with extreme physical pain, feeling abandoned and a feeling of “hopelessness.”

What is PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating anxiety disorder that occurs after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event that involves either a real or perceived threat of injury or death. In the old days, veterans referred to it as “shell shock.”

PTSD sufferers have a heightened sense of danger and impending doom. Their natural “fight or flight response” is damaged, causing them to feel stressed or fearful even in safe situations.

Many disabled veterans with PTSD experience:

flashbacks, in which it feels as if the event is occurring over and over

Disability Smart Solutions is committed to working with organizations and companies who believe in diversity and social inclusion. We are an ADA Accessibility consulting company providing resources to businesses that serve the unique needs of both the 50+ aging population and people living with disabilities.

While parenting a special needs teenager and caring for an elderly parent, she learned the harsh realities of all-ability customer service and architectural barriers to access.

Susan knows that it's one thing to explore a building as an able young person, but it's another to shop, dine, visit the doctor, or vacation as a person living with a disability. Mobility, comprehension, perception, hearing and sight can change in a split second.

Susan believes that exemplary customer service and ease-of-use in Places of Accommodation are key to creating long-term productive employees and life-long happy customers.

His photos star in our "Spot the Service Dog" presentation, where we explain the differences between Services Dogs and Emotional Support Animals.

Serge wants everyone to know that for Places of Public Accommodation:
1. A service dog vest is like a Rock Star t-shirt. It is just informational clothing.
2. The Department of Justice and the ADA do not acknowledge any "Service Dog Certificates."

The ADA only allows two legal questions for businesses.
1. Is the dog or tiny horse a service animal required because of a disability?
2. What work or task has the dog or tiny horse been trained to perform?

A business may ask any animal, including a Service Dog, to leave their facility for bad behavior.

Call Susan to schedule a Service Dog seminar for your organization. 407-310-3663

What is the ADA?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities that are like those provided to individuals on the basis of race, sex, national origin, and religion.

The ADA guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, State and local government services and telecommunications.

Susan P. Berry, NCIDQ, National Council for Interior Design Qualification

National Council of Building Design Certification, Susan P. Berry, CPBD

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